Macquarie University: GMBA8102 Build Personal Resilience Action Plan

This report presents a student's action plan for enhancing personal resilience, focusing on managing workplace stress and improving overall well-being. The student begins with an extended critical review of their stressors, identifying time, situational, anticipatory, and encounter stressors, and evaluates current coping techniques, including the 4 A's framework. The report then delves into a self-audit, pinpointing specific stressors and linking them to resilience factors such as interpersonal skills and positive perception. It outlines a support system including family, friends, and colleagues. New actions are detailed, including behavioral changes and progress measures, to monitor the effectiveness of new strategies. The report concludes with a discussion of mindset and implementation, emphasizing the development of resilience skills through self-reflection and improved relationships. The overall aim is to promote a better work-life balance and effective stress management.

GMBA8102 – A2 | Build Personal Resilience
Assignment 2 – Action Plan
Student name:
Student Number:
Word Count:
6th February 2020

PERSONAL RESILIENCE
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 2
Discussion................................................................................................................................... 2
Extended critical review...............................................................................................................2
Analysis and application: action plan...........................................................................................4
Self-audit..................................................................................................................................... 4
Help systems............................................................................................................................... 5
New Actions and progress measures..........................................................................................6
Mindset and implementation........................................................................................................7
Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 7
References.................................................................................................................................. 9
Appendix.................................................................................................................................... 10
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Introduction
Stress at the workplace can lead to several emotional and health issues of individuals
due to their incapability to deal with the situation of stress appropriately. Therefore, employees
must build their resilience. Personal resilience refers to an individual’s ability to deal with events
that provoke stress in an individual without being affected by the event such that the individual
does not show any signs and symptoms of personal stress. Therefore individuals must have
training in personal resilience such that they can be able to face the different complicated
situation without being stressed by the same (Braukmann et al., 2018).
Moreover, the development of resilience is significant because it can help individuals in
developing a mechanism to be protected against complex experiences that may be
overwhelming, it can help in improving and maintaining a better work-life balance even during
stressful situations. Some of the vital skills that show an individual has resilience include-
mindfulness, self-awareness, self-care, positive relationship, and purpose. The main aim of the
paper is to improve the personal resilience of individuals through various techniques. Therefore
the paper will discuss the acritical review of stressful situations and the reaction to the same and
will carry out analysis and application.
Discussion
Extended critical review
The stressors identified by me at my workplace include- time stressor, situational
stressor, anticipatory stressor, and also encounter stressor. These stressors highlight my
inability to deal with multiple within a given time limit. Moreover, I am faced with anticipatory
stressors by anticipating the future. I am also faced with situational stressors because of a lack
of recognition. Finally, I feel I am suffering from encounter stress as I feel very uncomfortable to
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interact with people because I fear that my opinion will not be considered. Due to all these
stressors, I feel that my energy is lacking.
Further, there are chances of me gaining weight, my palms start sweating in situations
and stress, and there are also different other psychological and health issues that I suffer when I
am faced with stress. The technique used by me to overcome these stressors includes the 4 A’s
framework in which try to avoid the situation, alter the situation when I have made all attempts to
alter the situation, and it still cannot be altered, I accept it and then adapt to the same. After
making the application of the techniques of dealing with the stress, I try to keep a positive
attitude in situations of stress by trying to avoid the same (Kinmans & Jones, 2005). However,
when I feel that the situation cannot be avoided, which I cannot alter within a particular time
limit, I start losing my calm and start panicking. Therefore I can say that though my perception
about stressful situations and managing the same has changed, it can be directed towards a
more positive perception. I feel that I do not have sufficient skills that are required for dealing
with stressful situations such as I need to learn to develop better social relationships such that I
can overcome encounter stressors. I accept the situation as it is, and as a result, I fail to present
my opinion or perspective in front of others (Lambert, Lambert & Yamase, 2003).
Moreover, I should try to carry out self-care such that I can develop myself in a way that I
can encounter people and interact appropriately. Hence I can acquire and improve my resilience
skills. I need to shift my perspective in a new direction; that is, I need to start seeing the bigger
picture and try to look at the brighter side of all my activities. Therefore according to the
resilience factor typology, the strategies adopted by me for overcoming my workplace stress
include making application of the four A's framework of Mayo clinic. The strategies as per the
framework have helped me in improving my skills, perception; however, I am unable to change
my personality completely (Michie, 2002). Since I am unable to deal with my stressors
effectively, therefore, I need to learn about a few resilience factor types (McKeown & Bates,
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2013). These factors include improving my overall communication and interpersonal skills that
would help me in overcoming my encounter stressors. Therefore the same can be overcome by
adding activities of self-care and a positive attitude to my existing routine.
Analysis and application: action plan
Self-audit
According to the stressor typology, I would like to overcome my encounter stress and
also anticipatory stressors (Pillemer & Rothbard, 2018). I am faced with anticipatory stress
because I am unable to look at the brighter side of events. If I can improve my ability to look at
the bigger picture, then I will be able to overcome my anticipatory stress at the workplace. For
instance, when I am given a complex task at work or when I have to carry out multitasking, I feel
stressed(anticipatory stress) as I fear that I might fail in completing the complex task and I also
have a fear that I will be unable to complete multiple tasks within a given period or deadline.
Moreover, I am unable to present my views and opinions in front of others because of
the fear that people may not take it positively, and therefore I need to improve my interpersonal
skills and emotional intelligence. Therefore to overcome the stressors that I am faced with, I
need to acquire different resilience skills. Some of the strategies that need to be carried out by
me include improving my perception and shifting the same in a more positive direction.
Therefore I feel I have to improve my interpersonal and social skills, and I need to improve my
personality, which would display a more positive attitude on my part.
Self-audit of stressors and the resilience factors or skills:
Stressors Resilience factors or
resilience skills
Carrying out different
activities to acquire the
resilience skills
1.) Encounter stressor Improving interpersonal
skills for overcoming the
encounter stressor.
Talking to more people and
trying to understand their
perceptions and their ideas
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and viewpoints.
Changing my personality so
that I can interact with
others confidently
I need to act according to
purpose, carry out activities
without expecting any
results.
Practice assertive
communication to
overcome encounter
stressor.
I am taking the initiative to
start a conversation with
others and providing them
feedbacks without
dominating them or forcing
them to do things.
2.) Anticipatory stressor Change perception and
shifting the perception
towards a more positive
direction.
I am changing perception
by being able to see the
bigger picture and being
able to see the brighter side
of all activities.
Help systems
Help systems include acknowledgment of the fact that resilience factors or skills include
depending upon each other for supporting and helping each other (Tsai & Lee, S.2016).
Therefore it is necessary to identify all those sources of help system that can provide some form
of help in stressful situations. These sources of help may include- family, friends, relatives,
mentors, colleagues and also associates. Therefore in case, an individual is faced with a
stressful situation, they need to understand the fact that to overcome the same, they need the
help and support of others, and they cannot come out of the stressful situation all by
themselves.
Similarly, when I am faced with the stressors which I find challenging to deal with, such
as the anticipatory stressor and the encounter stressor, I can take the help of my family
members, relatives or even my colleagues and friends. To overcome my anticipatory stressor, I
can take the help of my colleagues such that I can get my work done from them. Further, I can
get emotional support at times of stress from my close friends. Moreover, my friends can
explore a different solution for me by discussing with me what they would have done in case
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they were in my situation. My mentors in the organization can hold me accountable such that
they can follow through on what needs to be done by me in stressful situations by explaining to
me what they expect from me.
New Actions and progress measures
The new actions and progress measures can discuss the methods that need to be
carried out by me to verify my commitment to the resilience challenge and for measuring my
success and progress. These new actions may include- what new behaviors would like to
commit myself to for the next few months and also includes recording what happens when the
strategies planned by me will be carried out by me in actual practice. I need to change my
behavior towards others and start interacting with others to understand their perceptions,
opinion and values and this will help me in properly interacting with them. For this purpose, I am
required to behave in a more friendly manner with others and practice active listening with other
people for at least 3-4 months, and this will help me in overcoming my encounter stressor. I
have to record the reactions of others and observe what happens when I adopt new strategies. I
can measure the progress by asking my colleagues and supervisors to give regular feedback to
me about my behavior and if the same has changed.
Stressors Type of stress Change in behavior and
action
1.) Anticipatory stressor Stress due to various
anticipation of the
future, such as stress
that I will not be able
to fulfill a commitment
due to the overload of
work.
By changing my perception
and attitude towards
activities, people, and trying
to see the bigger picture, I
can overcome my
anticipatory stressor
Select task wisely and learn
to say no to new tasks and
therefore, self-compassion
needs to be practiced such
that we can give time for our
self and our personal life.
For this, I can change my
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daily routine, such as joining
a gym or engaging in other
physical exercises.
2.) Encounter stressor Stress-related to
interacting with others
because of the fear
that people may
perceive my opinion
or feedback
negatively.
By improving my active
listening skills
By communicating openly
with other colleagues and
also being open for
feedback and developing my
emotional intelligence
Mindset and implementation
The strategies that will be adopted by me for overcoming my stressors and for having a
better work-life balance include- strategies for changing my perception and attitude towards
things in life and shifting it in a more positive direction (Valcour, 2016). In this case, my
communication skills and interpersonal skills can be improved and also my social skills such
that I can interact effectively with others and thereby ensure that others understand my
viewpoint and opinion. I can develop my personality such that I can have a pleasing personality
by having a positive attitude towards different things and people in life. I need to develop better
relationships with my colleagues such that I can rely upon them at times I am faced with
different problems. I need to engage in self-reflection such that I can learn from my past
experiences. Therefore to overcome the stressors that are presently being faced by me, I need
to develop a few resilience factors or skills and the same can be developed by me through
different activities.
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Conclusion
Therefore from the above discussion, it can be concluded that personal resilience is
essential for all individuals as it can help people in effectively managing complex stressful
situations without reacting to the same and without being stressed out. Moreover, from the
paper, it has also been understood from the paper that employees must have resilience skills for
dealing with all the stressful situations more positively and thereby enjoy a proper work-life
balance. Further from the paper, it is also evident that the stressors need to be analyzed to
understand the different techniques that are used by individuals to deal with their stress. The
paper also makes use of resilience factor typology by categorizing the strategies into the same.
Moreover, from the paper, it can be understood that it becomes necessary to conduct a self-
audit, identify the health systems, conduct new actions and progress measures and also finally
implement the new strategies for dealing with different stressful situations.
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References
Braukmann, J., Schmitt, A., Ďuranová, L., & Ohly, S. (2018). Identifying ICT-related affective
events across life domains and examining their unique relationships with employee
recovery. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(4), 529-544.
Harford, T (2015, September 4). Multi-tasking: How to survive in the 21st century. Financial
Times.
Kinman, G., & Jones, F. (2005). Lay representations of workplace stress: What do people really
mean when they say they are stressed?. Work & Stress, 19(2), 101-120.
Lambert, V. A., Lambert, C. E., & Yamase, H. (2003). Psychological hardiness, workplace
stress and related stress reduction strategies. Nursing & Health Sciences, 5(2), 181-184.
McKeown, A., & Bates, J. (2013). Emotional intelligent leadership. Library Management.
Michie, S. (2002). Causes and management of stress at work. Occupational and environmental
medicine, 59(1), 67-72.
Pillemer, J., & Rothbard, N. P. (2018). Friends without benefits: Understanding the dark sides of
workplace friendship. Academy of Management Review, 43(4), 635-660.
Tsai, T. I., & Lee, S. Y. D. (2016). Health literacy as the missing link in the provision of
immigrant health care: A qualitative study of Southeast Asian immigrant women in
Taiwan. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 54, 65-74.
Valcour, M. (2016). Beating burnout. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 98-101.
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Appendix
Action plan
Time
Demand
stress
Encounter
Stress
Situational
Stress
Anticipation
Stress
How much
of it is in my
life at the
moment?
I feel stressed
when I have to
do a lot of work
in a short
period
I am faced with
Encounter
stress
I am faced with
situational
stress
I am faced with
situational
stress
Ultimate /
long-term
goals
I aim to reduce
my time
demand stress
To be able to
handle
encounters
stress properly
To be able to
deal with
situational
stress patiently
To be able to
overcome
anticipation
stress
Medium-
term
Goals to
complete in
the next
month
Take part in
different
seminars to
understand and
learn new
techniques of
time
management
such that I will
be in a better
position to
make use of my
time properly.
To start talking
to as many
people as
possible to
reduce my
encounter
stress
To be able to
talk to the top
management
freely about the
recognition that
I am accepting
To be able to
look at the
positive side of
things and be
able to see the
bigger picture.
What I
should
practice on
a
daily basis?
Time
management
activities need
to be carried
out daily
To practice
open
communication
with a group of
people
To be able to
stop thinking
about other
people and
start
celebrating
smaller
success and
achievement of
objectives and
goals.
I can think
positively.
Who can be
part of my
help
systems
My friends who
can help me
with my work
My family
members. First,
I need to start
practicing
I can rely on my
family members
and relatives
and also my
My colleagues
can help me
with my
anticipation
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team? communication
at home and
with relatives.
friends for
celebrating
even the
smaller
Achievements.
Why am I
doing
This?
I have identified
and set my long
term, medium-
term and short
term goals that
will help in
achieving my
objectives and
that will
ultimately help
me in
overcoming my
time demand
stressor
I have
determined
different goals
to be able to
achieve my
main objective
of overcoming
encounter
stress.
By celebrating
my smaller
success and
achievements, I
will not feel bad
even if my work
is not
recognized
because I will
be happy with
my
achievements.
By setting
different short
term goals,
medium-term
goals and long
term goals I will
be able to
overcome my
anticipation
stressor.
Direct
resilience
factors
applicable
I can avoid the
stressor by not
taking too many
responsibilities
at the same
time.
I can try to
avoid the
stressor by
start
communicating
with more
people
I can avoid the
stressor by not
overthinking
about various
events
I can avoid the
stressor by
being able to
look at the
brighter side of
various events.
Indirect
lifestyle
factors
applicable
I can quit
smoking at the
workplace
because that
can also lead to
increased
stress, and I
need to follow a
healthy diet.
I need to
indulge in
different
physical
activities to
improve my
personality
I can carry out
yoga to
improve my
thoughts and
move it towards
a more positive
direction.
I need to keep
my sugar levels
and blood
pressure under
check.
The weekly
measure of
progress
I will try to
understand if I
still feel
stressed in
case of
situations
where too
much work is to
be done within
a limited period.
I will try to
understand if I
can talk to
people more
openly than
before and if I
can put my
views in front of
others or if I still
faced a
problem with
I will try to
understand if I
still feel
stressed and
bad when my
work is not
recognized in
front of others.
I will try to
understand if I
still think
negatively
about the
consequences
of different
events.
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